46 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 16, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com ST. FRANCIS PREP; A MIRROR OF QUEENS, A MIRROR OF THE WORLD According to nyc.gov, Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world. And St. Francis Prep is a mirror of Queens and that diversity. And it is a diversity that is celebrated both in our Academic offerings, and 19 ethnic clubs open to all students. Prep is a place where that diversity is not only celebrated, but embraced. The best way to embrace diversity is to learn about different cultures and traditions. Prep’s Foreign Language Department, led by veteran, award-winning teacher Joseph Licata, offers students the opportunity to study one of four languages and their cultures: French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Our Foreign Language program is fully articulated to include four levels of French, Italian, and Spanish, and three levels of German. There are courses for Native Speakers, as well as Honors and Advanced Placement courses. We even offer courses in French, Italian, and Spanish for college credit. The philosophy of our Foreign Language Department states, “The successful acquisition of a foreign language is not necessarily rote memorization of verbs and their endings, nor grammatical concepts that cannot be applied to everyday life. In line with The American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages, the Foreign Language Department has undertaken the task of applying those standards to our daily instruction in the classroom. It is through these widely accepted standards that we endeavor to make the learning of a foreign language in our society useful and enjoyable to all of our students. The fi ve main areas of learning a foreign language are as follows: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.” And it’s that last one, “Communities,” that’s crucial to a Prep education. Students who have immersed themselves in the study of language and culture at Prep will be honored on Thursday, October 23rd at 7PM in St. Francis Prep’s auditorium during our Foreign Language Awards Night. Part of the study of language and culture means taking advantage of traveling to different countries. Prep students have enjoyed trips to Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, and right here on our own continent. Oftentimes, trips are culture and language based, but other times, they are service based, such as Prep’s trip to Peru this past summer, offered by our Offi ce of Campus Ministry. Students worked at a home for students who don’t have resources for medical treatment, helping those less fortunate. Students from our Art department traveled to London to participate in a one-week, customized theater and dance Prep Students and Faculty at Hogar San Francisco de Asis, a home and hospital for poor and destitute children in Lima, Peru. trip, including a private acting class in Shakespeare’s Globe Theater and dance classes in dance studios in London’s West End. We are also in the midst of a student exchange with the Albert-Einstein-Schule. Prep students spent three weeks living with their German host families, attending classes, and sightseeing in Frankfurt, Regensburg and Berlin. The Prep students’ German partners arrived in New York last week for a three-week stay. Future trips include Paris, Rome, and even the home of the namesake of our school, St. Francis – Assisi! For more information on the Foreign Language Awards Night, please contact Prep’s Chairperson of Foreign Languages, Mr. Joseph Licata at (718) 423-8810, x227, or jlicata@sfponline.org. For more information regarding our upcoming trips abroad, please contact Prep’s Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Student and Staff Development, Mr. Joseph Castellano at (718) 423-8810, x209, or jcastellano@sfponline.org. ADVERTORIAL NOT FOR PROFIT, BETTER FOR PEOPLE Better rates. Higher dividends. Fewer fees. At Qside, we reinvest our profits back into our account holders, so you get all the benefits without the big bank agenda. Online Banking Home Loans Personal Loans Vehicle Loans Savings Accounts Free Checking 30,000 Surcharge-Free ATMs Low-Rate Credit Cards Discover not-for-profit banking at QsideFCU.org. Federally Insured by NCUA
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